Lima – Astrid y Gaston restaurant one of the best restaurants in Peru

The end of our tour in Peru unfortunately happens too quickly … After our morning spent in Cuzco, we take our backpacks and direction Airport for the flight to Lima. Lima is our last stop before returning to France. We will arrive in the evening just in time for our reservation at the gastronomic restaurant Astrid y Gaston (one of the best restaurants in Lima).

Cuzco Lima
– Our arrival in Lima

For our last dinner in Peru, I wanted to finish in style: I booked for 20:00 at Astrid y Gaston. However, we land at 18:30 and we must collect the luggage, and we must look for a taxi … Quick soon because I know there is a lot of traffic in Lima and the airport is well within 1 hour of downtown! But our reservation is guaranteed until 20:15: after we will be on the waiting list. And yes, it is so when restaurants have “too” successful!

Lima and its gastronomy

I knew that
Peru was a world-renowned country for its gastronomy!

I had read
on the Internet that there were 2 chefs who stood out: Virgilio MARTINEZ
36-year-old chef at the restaurant Le Central and Gaston Acurio Well-known and
well-known chef at the restaurant Astrid y Gaston. I first tried to book at the
Central which was ranked at the time 4th best restaurant in the world. It was
in August and it was already full by the end of October …

Restaurant
Astrid y Gaston in Lima

So I contacted Astrid y Gaston who was ranked 14th best restaurant in the world by the famous “WORLD 50 BEST” on Internet (he is now down to 30th place).

Restaurant
Astrid y Gaston in Lima – Dishes tasted

I had prepared myself to taste first and foremost the specialties of Peru: PISCO – CEVICHE and CUY (guinea pig).

Here are
the dishes we took and shared with two:

A PISCO as an aperitif (good but not exceptional). I will give you the recipe for the real PISCO that my Peruvian family told me (see article DAY 16).

Appetizer to accompany the aperitif (classic and unsurprising).

The famous CEVICHE they call on the map “the historia del Ceviche”. We present 3 bowls of ceviche corresponding to 3 different periods: the ceviche yesterday, today and tomorrow … The three are radically different and the three are incredibly delicious!

El CUY Pekines: This is guinea pig prepared at the pekinoise. In fact, it is small black pancakes made with seaweed in which is found the flesh of guinea pig prepared with mango and various herbs. To eat them, you just have to roll them in nems and enjoy! It’s original, surprising and excellent. The only downside is that we have in the mouth a clever mix sweet and salty in which does not dominate the taste of guinea pig.

PEZ DE PROFUNDIDAD: Fish from the deep oceans of Peru. It is accompanied by a knife and some seashells bathed in a sauce of coconut milk and ginger. One word: SUBLIME!

LECHON CONFITADO: This is candied pork. Nothing to say because it was just PERFECT!

EL ALFAJOR: It’s the only negative touch of the meal. This dessert was just an assembly of 3 cookies (which did not look “homemade”) with a tasteless cream that should have looked like milk jam, ice cream and crumbled meringue. I do the same at home for less than 5 Euros!

Restaurant
Astrid y Gaston in Lima – What I liked

The setting was beautiful: The restaurant is located in the Casa Moreyra (former residence of the XVII century hacienda San Isidro)

The fact that we are allowed to choose the table and the room where we want to settle … but I think it is a privilege reserved for the first arrivals!

The relaxed but classy atmosphere, the waiters are young and smiling. The impression that we are the most important guests of the restaurant!

The originality and flavor of all dishes except dessert.

To leave, the restaurant offers a taxi on site: no need to order and wait

Restaurant
Astrid y Gaston in Lima – What I did not like

The table: there was not even a tablecloth! For a restaurant of this level, the art of the table should not be neglected, right?

The service: the waiters are behind you always watching you and as soon as you finish, they arrive with the following dish. It’s the service at 100 per hour! We have the impression that they want us to consume quickly quickly to let others settle quickly so that in turn they consume quickly quickly etc … While moments of pleasure as rare must last to enjoy it to the fullest . So, despite this pression, we took all our time!

Dessert as I explained further …

Water that was more expensive than dessert!

The bill: 126 Euros but I must admit that we would have paid 3 times more expensive in a French restaurant of equivalent quality …

Cheap hotel
in Lima

It was not mission impossible but it was difficult to find a hotel in the MIRAFLORES area that was correct and in our prices. I booked the “Hospedaje Dimar Inn” for 31 Euros with breakfasts. The hotel is very well placed, clean and with WIFI. The breakfast is taken in the lobby which is a little surprising but it is hearty and greedy.

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Coco a French woman always dreaming of traveling the world !

Passionate about travel, I like to prepare them as well as to live and tell them ... With this blog, I share my itineraries in detail with lots of information that could interest travelers ...
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